


Tune in the Magic Frequency

by VileVenom



Category: Book of Life (2014)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mild Gore, Tumblr Prompt, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-12-05
Packaged: 2018-02-25 10:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2618960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VileVenom/pseuds/VileVenom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>tedizleader: drabble prompt: joanolo au where Manolo's a mermaid... merman... that thing lol. could be set any time period/setting</p>
<p>When Joaquin had first moved to his beach-side property, he’d had every intention to learn how to surf, go swimming every day, and generally use the beach front he’d bought. However, when he began to hear rumors floating around about cursed waters and shark attacks, he’d easily put an end to his ideas. Mostly because he’d seen one or two shark bites during his brief volunteer lifeguard days and really had no urge to find out what it was like to receive one himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before I realized it, I actually took inspiration for this ficlet from a piece by the requester [over here](http://tedizleader.tumblr.com/post/101988658972/an-anon-wanted-joanolo-bathtime-they-never).
> 
> All the mermaid au's. All of them.

When Joaquin had first moved to his beach-side property, he’d had every intention to learn how to surf, go swimming every day, and generally use the beach front he’d bought. However, when he began to hear rumors floating around about cursed waters and shark attacks, he’d easily put an end to his ideas. Mostly because he’d seen one or two shark bites during his brief volunteer lifeguard days and really had no urge to find out what it was like to receive one himself.

Instead, he found running on the beach was a rather good swap for exercise since he couldn’t go swimming, given the extra traction of the sand made it a touch more difficult than the concrete sidewalks winding through the neighborhood. And so, he took up jogging along the beach every night, and wandering back towards his home as the sun began to set, casting streaks of pink, purple, red and orange across the ocean; a real treat for the eye.

Joaquin sighed contentedly to himself as he wandered home, watching the colors dance across the water, a small smile on his face right up until his gaze landed upon something-or rather, someone on an outcropping of rocks not far from the edge of his property.

He took off at a run, his shoes kicking up far more sand than his meandering jogging ever did. By the time he reached the outcropping he was a panting mess, but he let the thought of how much of a mess he must have looked by pushed to the back of his mind as he approached the person haphazardly tossed over the rocks.

"Hey," he called out, approaching slowly, his gaze flickering back and forth over the body before him, looking for signs of life, "You okay?" It appeared to be a man, with shoulder length black hair, and possibly an age close to Joaquin’s own. For a moment, Joaquin feared he’d have to call the cops to let them know of a body, only to jump into action as the man let out a strangled groan.

"Hey! Hey man, I’m right here. You’re going to be okay," Joaquin stated quickly, hurrying to the man’s side and taking note of the cringe worthy amount of blood tinting the water around the man where his torso met the ocean at the base of the rocks. "I’m right here," he continued to sooth as he moved to hoist the man out of the water, only to jerk back in surprise as the tail of a bull shark thrashed in the water near the rocks, accompanied by a pained grunt from the man in his arms.

Joaquin dropped the man, for fear that the shark in the water was still attached to the him. But when no further movement below the waves came, Joaquin re-approached, hooking his arms beneath the man’s shoulders and dragging him from the water, only to jump back for a whole new reason.

The man hissed as he was dropped onto the rocks once again, his eyes finally opening to stare up at Joaquin in mild disdain as he gasped for breath. Joaquin had been right to think that the shark was attached to the man, given that just below the man’s navel his anatomy shifted to that of said shark.

Joaquin was more than tempted to turn on his heel right then and there to leave the living fairy tale creature right where he’d found it and drink himself into oblivion for the night, but the blood he’d seen in the water was, indeed, coming from the merman laid out on the rocks. A large, gaping wound was quite obvious on the merman’s tail near his hip, where a fisherman’s harpoon had apparently pierced it.

"I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?" Joaquin muttered to himself as he moved to scoop the merman into his arms and began to trudge back to his house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got mad at this chapter because I lost half of it and had to re-write it :\
> 
>  **EDIT** : The lovely [neal-illustrator](http://neal-illustrator.tumblr.com/) on tumblr drew fanart for this chapter! You can find it [right here!!](http://neal-illustrator.tumblr.com/post/103870779503/time-to-panic-inspired-by-one-of-vilevenoms)

Getting the merman home had proven to be quite an interesting feat for Joaquin, given that the weight of the creature made him sink even further into the sandy beach then he usually found his feet. Needless to say, he was breathing rather hard by the time he reached where the sand turned into the grass of his back ‘yard’ (a sad strip of grass the developers put in to differentiate between the beach and the foundations of his house. Half of it had already been covered in sand before he’d even moved in).

He huffed as he trudged up the back stairs of his porch, making a mental note to himself to go back and clean up the trail of blood that followed where he walked as it dripped from the poor, now unconscious, merman’s torso.

Once in his house, though, it was much easier for him to hurry through the halls to his downstairs bathroom, gently depositing the creature into his tub. He paused once he set the merman down, his brain still too stuck on what he was looking at (he was still having trouble coming to terms with even having found a merman washed up on the rocks) to come up with what his first aid training told him to do with a large open wound.

"Towel," he finally snapped to, realizing that if he didn’t move quickly, he’d have a dead merman in his tub, rather than a living one, and that would be, perhaps, even harder to explain. He moved swiftly after that, gathering a few thick towels from the cupboard in the hall, hurrying to dampen one and press it solidly against the gaping wound, doing his best to staunch the blood flow. As one towel became soaked with blood, he rapidly replaced it with a new one, worry seeping into him that the poor creature in his bathtub was going to bleed out, despite his efforts to keep him alive.

The second towel seemed to do the trick, though, as it did not soak through, and the bleeding began to slow. He let out a short breath of relief, turning to plug the tub and run a couple inches of water into it; not enough to reach the wound he was trying to keep shut, but plenty to keep the merman’s tail from drying out. He was still part fish, after all.

When the bleeding finally slowed to a sluggish, manageable pace, Joaquin removed the bloodied towel to take a better look at what he had to deal with. Torn skin, it mostly looked like, which we figured would need some stitches but would heal well enough, if one didn’t mind a scar. And he didn’t really figure the merman could complain much about that, given he would have bled out in the water if Joaquin hadn’t come along.

After a quick trip down the hall to his laundry room, Joaquin returned with a sewing needle and thick thread in hand, along with a lighter and a determined frown on his face.

"It’s a good thing you’re already unconscious," he muttered to the merman as he heated the sewing needle after threading it. He knelt next to the tub once he felt the needle was ready, glancing up at the paled face of the merman for any signs of waking, before nodding to himself and settling to work on patching up the wound.

Over a dozen stitches later and Joaquin finally managed to completely close up the jagged wound, the bleeding nearly completely stopped, save for what was coagulating around threaded stitches. He cleaned the wound one last time, nodding to himself once his work was finished and he’d taken a good look at it to make sure it would stay shut if the merman moved a bit.

Satisfied, he gathered the bloodied towels that were now strewn across his bathroom floor and headed to the laundry room, taking notes of the blood that dotted his floor boards from the back patio doors to the bathroom. When he reemerged from the laundry room, it was with a bucket of bleach water and disposable mop in hand to wash up the trail spattered through his house.

Once the floors inside were free of red, he moved outside to his porch, scrubbing the blood from the varnished wood, and giving the dots of blood scattered up towards his house on the beach a frown. He supposed the wind and such would take care of that, though, so once his porch was deemed clean as well, he headed back inside to toss out the now ruined mop head and dump the pink water in his bucket down the drain in his laundry room.

He returned to the bathroom to find the merman looking at least a little better than he had when he’d first dropped him in the tub. He was pale faced and his breathing was slow and shallow, but at least he was alive. Joaquin let out a breath as he ran a bit more warm water into the bath, hoping it would be sufficient for the merman for now.

"Good night," he murmured as he flicked off the bathroom light and headed upstairs to his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

The last thing Joaquin expected to wake up to was the sound of something crashing downstairs, and a follow-up of an angry sounding voice. The noises had him shooting up in bed and very nearly falling on his face as he scrambled to get up while his blankets tangled around his legs. A few inspired curses and flailing had him free in no time though, and he managed to grab a robe on his way down to the source of the commotion.

In retrospect, he thought, a weapon would have been more useful than his robe as he crept down the hall. He paused as he located the source of the ruckus; the downstairs bathroom.

He frowned as he slowly pushed open the door, flinching as he heard the distinctive sound of his shower curtain ripping from its hooks. Once the door was open a sufficient amount, he slipped his hand inside to flick on the light, the angry voice rising into indistinct curses once more. He took a grounding breath, before shoving the door open swiftly, hoping to catch the intruder off guard and startle them enough to get the upper hand, given his lack of defenses.

However, upon finding no one standing in the bathroom, his shower products and bath curtain strewn across the floor, and a slightly damp, disgruntled looking man glaring at him from the tub, the evening before came back to him.

Merman. Right.

Joaquin let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, offering the merman a smile despite the obvious hostility rolling off the creature in waves. He then carefully picked the curtain off the floor, bunching it up and tossing it into his trash bin, the merman staring at Joaquin intently as he lazily flicked his tail in the tub.

"Good to see you’re awake," Joaquin hummed as he gathered the bottles of soap and shampoo from the floor, "I was worried you might not make it. But after the bleeding was stopped and I got you stitched up, you seemed to be doing okay." He glanced up as he put the bottles into the sink for the time being, clearing his throat awkwardly as the merman continued to silently give him the eye.

"Right, well," he coughed, rubbing the back of his neck absently, "my name is Joaquin. Dunno if you remember me finding you bleeding out near the beach, but…" He trailed off, the merman not giving him even a hint of emotion outside the suspicious glare he’d been offering since Joaquin had turned the light on in the bathroom. "Yeah, this is going real smooth," he snorted quietly to himself, moving to approach the tub.

A hiss and the merman’s tail thrashing had Joaquin jumping backwards, his robe swirling around his legs as he stumbled back.

"Hey now! Hey!" he scolded, trying to calm the now growling creature in the tub, hands in the air, "You’re going to rip your stitches like that! I was just going to put more water in the tub!" He didn’t know if the merman necessarily understood him, given the curses he’d heard earlier seemed to have been in a different language, but the merman calmed a bit, his growling lowering in volume until he was simply making curious noises at Joaquin, his tail settling down to rest in the tub.

"Good," Joaquin sighed, lowering his hands as he slowly approached the bath again, this time a bit more cautiously as he eyed the merman. He watched the merman’s face as he turned the knob to the bath, adding some more warm water to the tub, but still not enough to reach the fresh stitches. The merman watched his actions intently, his gaze completely focused on Joaquin’s hand.

"There," Joaquin muttered, taking a swift step back once the water was in the bath.

The merman seemed to contemplate the water for a moment, swishing his fingers in it, his eyes moving to the thread keeping his wound shut. His jaw worked for a moment, and Joaquin watched him curiously, before jerking in surprise as the merman spoke.

"My name is Manolo."

Stunned silence filled the bathroom for a solid minute, both individuals simply staring at each other, one with a look of utter astonishment on his face, while the other held mild contempt.

"You speak english?!"

Manolo scoffed, rolling his eyes at Joaquin’s outburst, folding his arms over his chest and flicking his tail slightly, water splashing up from the movement and spattering the floor. “Of course I can. I can also speak spanish and atlantian,” he snorted, arching an eyebrow at Joaquin.

"Sorry," Joaquin demurred slightly, clearing his throat again as his cheeks colored slightly, "Just, y’know. I heard you earlier and it sounded like another language, so I sort of just assumed…My apologies. that was rude."

Manolo eyed the human for a beat, before letting out a breath and relaxing in the tub, the end of his tail sliding over the edge of the tub, dripping a steady stream onto the floor. “It’s all right,” he murmured, the tight, defensive fold of his arms relaxing until he let his arms move to rest at his sides, “Thank you for rescuing me. Many humans wouldn’t have bothered.”

"I really think most would have," Joaquin chuckled, resting his hands on his hips, "It’s not exactly every day you find a merman. Kind of a big deal."

The short glare Manolo sent Joaquin had the man wondering just how many humans the merman had actually come across before, and the kind of impression they’d left on him. Then again, he mused, the gaping wound left by what he assumed was a fisherman’s spear was a pretty good place to start.

"To assume makes an ass out of ‘u’ and me. I should really stop that," Joaquin muttered, his shoulders slumping. Though, the short smile Manolo offered him for the comment was possibly well worth it.

Another moment passed in the bathroom, this time far more calm and civil than the last. A loud, unexpected yawn from Joaquin broke the silence.

"Well," he sighed, rubbing at his eyes, the fact that it was the middle of the night finally catching up to him as his momentary adrenaline ebbed away, "I think I’m going to go back to bed, if you’re okay. Though, if you could kindly not drip too much onto the floor? I’d appreciate that."

A quiet grumble was Manolo’s only reply, but he did shift in the tub so his tail was no longer hanging over the edge and getting water everywhere.

"Thanks. Sleep well," Joaquin hummed, turning to flick off the light and head back upstairs.

~

The second time Joaquin awoke, it was a far more enjoyable experience. No loud, unexpected noises came from downstairs, and he’d actually remembered to close his curtains the night before so the sun didn’t come crashing in as it rose into the sky, blinding him as he blinked his eyes open. No, he woke slowly, his body becoming aware of itself inch by inch as he rolled and stretched with a contented sigh, snuggling back into his pillows as he let his mind wander as it pleased.

It wasn’t until his stomach rumbled that he let out a dissenting groan and rolled out of bed, yanking on his robe as he meandered out of his room and down to the kitchen. Once there, he made himself a cup of coffee, humming quietly to himself as he sipped at the brew, quietly inhaling to rich scent before each sip. When his stomach gave another growl, insisting that coffee was not a substance one could run solely off of, he figured making a proper breakfast would be a good idea. And that he had a house guest who would probably appreciate something to eat as well, given the blood he’d lost the day before.

So, he meandered back towards the bathroom, huddling his coffee to his chest as he slipped into the bathroom and flicking on the light. The sight of Manolo with his chin propped on the side of the tub, glaring up at him was his greeting.

"I’m hungry," the merman stated, a frown on his lips.

Joaquin withheld the laugh that threatened to bubble up from his belly at the sight, finding it something akin to a dog resting its head on a table and begging for food. Truly, this situation was completely different, but it still brought the image to mind. “Luckily, that’s just what I came in here about,” he offered with a lopsided smile, “I’ve got pancake mix, frozen waffles, eggs or toast. What would you like?”

A blank stare was Joaquin’s only response from Manolo for a long minute, before the merman sat up in the tub, his expression turning concerned. “Do you have fish or something, instead?”

"Fish?" Joaquin echoed, tilting his head a little, a small frown on his own face. He blinked a couple of times, his mind trying and failing to come up with why his new house guest would want fish for breakfast. And then, of course, it hit him over the head, yet again. Merman. "Fish! Right! Uh…I might have something in the freezer. Do you want it cooked?"

Manolo stared at Joaquin like he had two heads. Or, perhaps, half of one. “No,” he said slowly, drawing out the vowel sound, before sinking in the tub a little, “If that’s all you’ve got, that’s fine. I appreciate anything you have to give me, truly. At this point, I’m really just thankful to be able to even ask for food.”

Joaquin floundered for a moment at the merman’s sudden change in attitude and bearing, clearing his throat as he clutched at his coffee cup. “I’ll go to town and get something fresh later, I promise.”

A small smile from the merman was offered, before Joaquin hustled out of the bathroom to find them both something to eat.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this whole fic is going to be written on my bus rides to and from work.

Once Manolo heard Joaquin’s footfalls head down the hallway, he grunted, shoving himself up and back in the tub a little while tilting his head to examine the stitches in his side. He ran curious fingers ever so carefully over the closed wound, chewing on his lip for a moment, before turning in the tub and casting his gaze around the tiny bathroom.

True as it was that Manolo was grateful to Joaquin for saving his life, he still wouldn’t trust the human as far a he could throw him. It seemed fair to give Joaquin his name, but going much farther than that was a stretch. He’d heard plenty of stories of ages past when humans had caught merfolk and the rather torrid affairs that followed. Not to mention the plethora of injuries those he knew, and now he himself, suffered by the hands of humans. No, he did not want to stay any longer than necessary.

His gaze finally landed on a small window over the toilet, a spark of hope lighting in him. The thread in his skin seemed strong, so if he could make it to the window and crawl out, perhaps he could make it back to the beach before his tail dried out. The night previous had been blurry, but he knew Joaquin hadn’t carried him too far.

He glanced at the open bathroom door, tilting his head as he heard the sound of something clattering down the hall, and Joaquin humming, figuring he had a good five minutes once he was out of the tub if he made noise, more if he didn’t. Carefully, he hoisted himself up, glad that he’d scattered the bottles that had lined the edge before, grunting as he rolled himself out of the tub. He gasped as he hit the tiled floor with a wet sounding thud, breathing shallowly as he paused to listen to see if Joaquin was coming down the hall yet.

When no footsteps came, he rolled over, wincing as he weight rested on his stitches momentarily, a quiet gasp leaving him as he shoved himself up onto his forearms. He checked quickly to make sure nothing had torn loose, before pulling himself across the floor to the toilet. He climbed atop the seat, his tongue caught between his teeth as he reached up to the window, fingers skittering over the sill to try and find the latch. He growled low in his throat when he couldn’t find one, using the back of the toilet to hoist himself higher, his heart sinking as he finally got a good view of the window. It was sealed and tinted, simply meant for aesthetics and to let light in then to actually be functional.

Manolo let himself slide from the toilet and back onto the floor, curling on his side slightly, his back pressed to the cabinet beneath the sink. He was trapped. His memories were too fuzzy to recall the way through the house, and there was no way he would be able to get out without Joaquin catching him, regardless.

He covered his face with his hands, letting out a shuddering breath as he thought of all his family and friends he was now unlikely to see again. For surely this man would not let him go. Humans had been trying to catch merfolk for years upon years. His cousins stories about the selkies off the coast of Ireland were enough proof of that.

He steeled himself as he finally heard Joaquin’s steps coming back down the hall, letting his eyes flick to the window in disdain. If only. He let out a breath and bowed his head as Joaquin’s feet came into his line of sight, biting his lip as the human paused in the doorway.

"Manolo?" Joaquin’s voice was curious, the faint sound of ceramic on porcelain filling the bathroom momentarily as Joaquin set a plate down on the bathroom counter, "What are you doing on the floor?"

Manolo didn’t answer, even as Joaquin scooped him up from the tiles to set him gently back into the bathtub, his gaze staying lowered as the human let out a short breath.

"Well," Joaquin murmured, watching Manolo with a contemplative look on his face, obviously perplexed with the merman’s strange mood swings, "I brought you-"

"What are you going to do with me?"

Joaquin paused as he was reaching for the plate he’d brought into the bathroom for Manolo, turning his head to blink at the merman in surprise. “…do?” The sudden hateful glare directed at him took Joaquin completely off guard, making him physically shift back in surprise.

"Do! I have heard all the stories there are to tell of humans capturing merfolk. Either to sell them to other humans because of greed, or turning them into loveless husbands and wives! I have even heard tell of those unfortunate enough to be caught just for their tails. So tell me, Joaquin," the name was spit out with as much vitriol as the merman could muster, "what do you plan on doing with me?"

The only sound that filled the bathroom once Manolo was through with his tirade was the merman’s heavy breathing and Joaquin’s much calmer breaths. Manolo shrunk back in the tub a little, his tail curling defensively as Joaquin did nothing more than continue to stare at him quietly. He jumped when Joaquin suddenly turned without a word, picking up the plate he’d earlier set down. He pressed himself as far into the corner of the tub as he could as Joaquin turned back to him, his gaze focusing sharply on the plate that was silently being offered to him. On it was a small assortment of chopped up fish fillets, arranged simply in little rows.

With shaky hands, Manolo gingerly took the plate as it was wiggled gently at him, his expression becoming confused as he stared at the food.

"I just want to help you," Joaquin’s voice was quiet, but startled Manolo into nearly dropping the plate all the same. "I couldn’t just let you bleed out on those rocks."

"And when I’m healed?" Manolo asked quietly, looking back up at Joaquin.

"Then I’ll take you back to the ocean. Don’t be insulted, but I don’t much enjoy the idea of my bathtub being occupied by a merman for ages."

Manolo considered the fish on the plate he’d been given, licking his lips briefly before picking a piece up. He popped it into his mouth, chewing in consideration for a moment. “It’s good,” he muttered once he’d swallowed, his expression guarded, but apologetic as he spoke.

"I’m glad," Joaquin said, a tiny, if hurt, smile on his face. Manolo’s words had obviously struck something and stung the human, making the merman regret them a bit. "I do still have to go to town, so I’ll see you later," he added, giving Manolo a short nod before he headed out of the bathroom.

Manolo let out a breath as he looked back down at his plate, setting it carefully on the edge of the tub, staring down the chopped up fish like it could give him all the answers he wanted. On one hand, Joaquin seemed genuine in his wish to help, and seemed quite upset that Manolo would even consider the idea that he wasn’t completely sincere. On the other, he knew humans could be deceitful and greedy creatures. He glanced back down at his stitches, then at the plate of fish. It would seem that, for now, he’d have to just wait and see.


End file.
